SVSEF BY WILL FALLTRICK

Twelve Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Cross Country athletes have qualified for Junior Nationals at West Yellowstone. The skiers will compete in the IMD Junior National Cross Country Championships in Cable, Wis., March 7-14.

Standout performances at West Yellowstone included Nick Gardiner’s victory in the U18 classic race, Stella St. George’s second-place finish in both sprint and distance events and Henri Allaire’s win in the U12 classic race.

SVSEF’s Prep, Comp and Postgraduate cross country athletes competed Feb. 21–22 at the IMD Junior National qualifier at the Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone, Wyo., Hosted by Bridger Ski Foundation with support from the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation, the two-day event featured a skate sprint on Saturday and a classic distance mass start race on Sunday.

Athletes competed in cold temperatures and true winter conditions, with fresh snow and exceptional course preparation creating fast racing and challenging competition across all age groups.

SVSEF took more than 40 athletes to the event, producing multiple podium finishes.

“The team embraced cold weather and real winter conditions in West Yellowstone, which produced some fantastic classic tracks for our final day of competitions,” said Head Comp Team Coach Chris Mallory. “The large number of Junior National qualifiers from Sun Valley this year is a testament to this team as a whole raising the bar for themselves.”

SVSEF Cross Country Program Director Becky Flynn highlighted the team’s collective energy and support throughout the weekend: “It was a weekend filled with energy and enthusiasm. It was a winter wonderland. We had over 40 athletes racing and our parent support was spectacular. We’re so proud of this team for qualifying 12 athletes to compete in the upcoming Junior Nationals in Cable, Wis.”

SVSEF Athlete Results (Top 3 SVSEF Results)

Saturday, Feb. 21 – Skate Sprint 

FU18/20

11th – Natalie Carlson

24th – Anna Gilman

25th – Dylan Buck

MU18/20

4th – Nick Gardiner

5th – Charlie St. George

13th – Zach Quesnel

FU16

2nd – Stella St. George

4th – Josephine Renner

8th – Sydney Nelson

MU16

10th – Thijs Lloyd

14th – Bailey Kurtz

17th – Henry Flynn

FU14

4th – Nina O’Sullivan

5th – Payton Daley-Scheingraber

13th – Penelope Zook

MU14

11th – Ben Wellner

13th – Augie Allaire

19th – Jed Schmidt

Sunday, Feb. 22 – Classic Mass Start

MU20 – 10km Classic

4th – Zach Quesnel

FU20 – 10km Classic

7th – Anna Gilman

MU18 – 10km Classic

1st – Nick Gardiner

3rd – Tait Boschen

8th – Charlie St. George

FU18 – 10km Classic

7th – Natalie Carlson

16th – Dylan Buck

21st – Riley Siegel

MU16 – 7.5km Classic

7th – Thijs Lloyd

14th – Finn O’Donnell

18th – Henry Flynn

FU16 – 7.5km Classic

2nd – Stella St. George

5th – Sydney Brown

10th – Sydney Nelson

MU14 – 2km Classic

10th – Augie Allaire

18th – Cody Lloyd

19th – Ben Wellner

FU14 – 2km Classic

3rd – Payton Daley-Scheingraber

7th – Nina O’Sullivan

19th – Penelope Zook

MU12 – 2km Classic

1st – Henri Allaire

3rd – Stephen Chudleigh

11th – Spencer Flynn

FU12 – 2km Classic

5th – Catherine Jameson

18th – Tallulah Gerald

SVSEF IMD Junior National Team Qualifiers

U18/20 Men

Zach Quesnel

Charlie St. George

Nick Gardiner

Caleo Morrison

Tait Boschen

Duncan Fryberger

U18/20 Women

Natalie Carlson

U16 Men

Henry Flynn

Thijs Lloyd

U16 Women

Stella St. George

Josephine Renner

Sydney Brown

Alternate: Sydney Nelson